Bend, Break, Live
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: Bend over backward for the one who saved your life, or run away. Break when your life takes a turn the wrong way, or resist. Live in spite of pain, or die. Love someone who may not even deserve it, or... well you can't just stop loving someone. Michael/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, don't bother yourself with them. They're jerks. My name's Michael."

She should have decided not to have anything to do with him when she had heard those words.

But easy as it could have been, for her to spurn him like everyone else did, she found herself unable to. He had such a charm to him, a certain something that should have made him... likable. Likable, and yet forbidden all at the same time. Long blonde hair fell in waves to his shoulders, untrimmed and slightly matted. A spark was held within his relaxed posture, subdued rage waiting to be unleashed upon someone the very instant they did something that conflicted with his beliefs or personal interests. And his hand offering to help her up, fingers curled up just slightly but palm open as if asking for friendship. And those dark, hypnotizing eyes that dared her with the promise of danger, wondered if she could handle it, set beneath golden brows. An expectant expression was contained in them, but they matched his mouth in that they were smiling.

Ohhh yes, he was definitely off limits.

Her mother would not have liked her talking to an angel with the devil's eyes.

But maybe it was time to stop being such a mama's girl when her mama wasn't here anymore.

She reached up and took his hand, her fingers settling very nicely on top of his. A grip was formed as he swept her neatly into a standing position, making sure she didn't fall back. His hand was warm, but so was hers. It wasn't that it was uncomfortable, but sometimes warmth had a way of putting a tingly feeling into you. She smiled back at him, and slowly drew her hand back. "It's nice to meet you, Michael. I'm Kirsten Black."

"That's a pretty name. I like it."

"I like yours too." Kirsten looked off in the direction of those kids who had knocked her down while skateboarding. "Ouch..."

"Are you okay, Kirsten?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? Not hurt anywhere?"

"Nope." She looked all on herself and saw little bruises, but nothing really serious. "I mean, little things, but I don't think anything broke the skin."

"That's good." He withdrew his hand as well, putting it back into his pocket where it had been before. "Don't worry, I'll yell at those guys for you sometime. So, um... are you new in Haddonfield?"

She gave him a blank look. "... I've been living here for over a month."

"You have? Funny, I've never... well, I've seen you around a few times, I kinda recognize you. I mean, 'cause of the red hair. Not a lotta people have that color hair."

"Yeah, well..." She shrugged. "It's my hair."

"I think my mom knows yours. Sometimes she talks about this lady with red hair and says it's funny because her last name's Black."

"Actually, that's my aunt. She looks a lot like my mom though, 'cause they were sisters."

"What happened to your mom?"

"She died when I was little."

"What about your dad?"

"He had to go away."

"How come?"

"He hurt some people really bad."

"... Did they die?"

She looked down. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's too bad." He looked down too and then turned to leave. "You wanna come play with me and my sister?"

"You have a sister?"

He grinned. "I have _two_. But I'm not talking about my big sister Judy. She's mean and... weird. I'm talking about my baby sister. Her name's Laurie and she's just two."

"Awww. How old are you and Judy?"

"I'm eight. And her full name's Judith, but we all call her Judy, and she's almost nineteen. How old are you?"

"Nine."

"Oh, you're older than me. Okay. So you wanna come and play with her?"

"Sure, it sounds like fun. Little kids are always fun to play with."

"Great!" He started hopping across the street to a big old house. "You're gonna love Laurie, she's so cute. She makes these adorable little faces and she can even say my name!"

"She can?"

"Well, not my full name. But she can say 'Mikey' and 'big brother'. I get to babysit her all the time."

"Really? Your mom leaves _you_ at home with a two-year-old?"

"Well..." She could swear a person could hear the blush in his voice. His cheeks were probably bright red if he would have turned around to face her. "I mean, Judy's usually at home too..."

Kirsten giggled. He was so funny, trying to show off for her and then basically popping his own bubble. What a self-destructive boy he was. "Aw, it's okay. Maybe someday she'll let you babysit by yourself. You know, because Judy's gonna have to move out someday. So one day you'll be looking after Laurie all by yourself."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He threw open the door to one of the houses on the street. "Welcome to the Myers' home sweet home!" He pointed at the couch. "You can sit there while I go get Laurie. She's probably watching TV upstairs in her room."

"Where's Judy?"

"Out, probably."

"You left your two-year-old sister alone?"

"Chill out, Kirsten. My mom's in her room reading. She'd hear if Laurie was in trouble. I'd never leave Laurie alone. I love her too much to ever let anything happen to her. Lemme go get her and bring her down here to play, I'll be right back."

Kirsten took a seat on the couch and folded her hands in her lap as Michael ran upstairs to get his sister. She looked around and smiled. It was a nice house, about the same type of place as she, her aunt, and her two cousins lived in.

Maybe this was what her mother would have wanted. She was making friends at least.

When Michael came back down, he was carrying a little girl who was giggling and smiling and pulling at his hair. "Mikey! Mikey! Pway! Pway!"

"I know, Laurie, I know." He sat down on the couch beside Kirsten and put the toddler down on the floor. "We're _gonna_ play." He ruffled the girl's blonde-ish hair and smiled. "Kirsten, this is my baby sister Laurie. Laurie? Hey Laurie!" He chuckled, tilting Laurie's little head up to look at the girl on the couch. "This is my friend Kirsten. She came to play with us. Can you say 'Kirsten'?"

Laurie looked at Kirsten for a minute, then her face broke out into a wide grin, showing her tiny little baby teeth. "Kirstie! Kirstie!"

Michael smirked, lifting Laurie up into his lap. He played with her hands, pumping her arms up and down and wiggling her fingers. "Well, Kirsten, I guess we gotta be friends now."

"Huh?" Kirsten reached over and tickled Laurie's stomach, making the little girl explode in a fit of giggles. She didn't quite understand what Michael meant by that. "Whaddaya mean?"

He smiled at her, and she decided she liked his smile. "Well, Laurie made up a nickname for you. So we gotta be friends."

"Mikey, Mikey!" Laurie reached up for her big brother and he held her, and she hugged him. He just laughed and hugged her back.

Kirsten smiled back, even though he wasn't looking. "So, um... should I call you Mike, or Mikey...?"

"You can, but I just like Michael."


	2. Chapter 2

Once Michael let Kirsten into his life, he wanted to spend every day of summer with her. She came over to his house, and played with him and Laurie. Sometimes Kirsten's aunt Kelly would offer to drive them to the cinema if there was something they both wanted to see, but there was really no point in that because she always sat in the same row as them. Michael's mother was better, in Kirsten's opinion, because she gave them cookies and let them play with Laurie and watch whatever they wanted on TV. Aunt Kelly never did any of those things. She let them do what they wanted, but there was really no enhancement of it.

Summer had to end sometime, though, and when it did both of them complained to each other about their shared hatred: school. Michael hated it because nobody really was friends with him or even wanted to be, and Kirsten hated it because she was afraid she'd be called on to read out loud or answer a question. They both dreaded returning, but they decided it was better now because they at least were friends with each other and had most of their classes together, except for gym.

Following fast on the heels of the damning days of school, however, was a holiday that the both of them enjoyed. October 31st, All Hallows' Eve, Spirits' Day, _Halloween_.

They spent nearly the entire month of October painstakingly planning out every little detail of their first Halloween - but certainly not their last - with each other. Michael had decided to be a clown, and Kirsten was going to be a ballerina. They spent most afternoons and weekends at Michael's house, where Mrs. Myers helped them make their costumes. She also showed them Laurie's costume, which was a little bumblebee outfit. Both of them "ooh"ed and "aah"ed over it, giggling and saying how cute she would look. When their costumes were nearly done (all that was left was Michael's clown mask and Kirsten's bejeweled ballet headband), Kirsten would somtimes snatch Michael's costume and run around with it, teasing that she was going to dress up like him and hit herself in the face. Michael just stood there with his face pink, furious with the knowledge that Kirsten knew he'd never make a rebuttal by stealing her costume, because he didn't want to dress up like a girl.

Four days before Halloween Michael got a cold, but he said he would brave it and go trick-or-treating anyway. Kirsten went over and visited him every day to try on her costume "just to make sure it'll still fit" and also to make sure he was eating his soup. If he wasn't... well, God have mercy on Michael then.

The plans for the evening had already been laid. Kelly Black was going to a Halloween party, and Mrs. Myers had arranged for Kirsten to come over to the Myers' house after Kelly left, to which Kirsten had promised. That was when Michael and Kirsten would change into their costumes and Michael would help Judith wrestle Laurie into hers. (It'd be hard, she could run and once you caught her she got wiggly.) Once Mrs. Myers got home from work, she would give Judith clearance to leave and take Michael, Kirsten, and Laurie trick-or-treating. After that, Kirsten would stay at the Myers' until Kelly came to pick her up - even if that meant she had to spend the night. Mrs. Myers didn't mind, and Michael certainly would be happy about it because that meant he could violate his bedtime and sneak downstairs to talk with her - a daring thrill for any child.

Kirsten sat on the couch watching TV and reading a book she was required to answer questions on in a few days. She hummed as Kelly came down the stairs, dressed in a "sexy nurse" outfit. She had her red hair pinned up under her nurse's hat, and she was fastening her earrings in. "So I should be back by midnight. You know where Missy Swann's is, you call there if there's any trouble or you need anything. And you tell Mrs. Myers if you don't feel good or anything, okay?"

"Kay." Kirsten bounced up, abandoning her book and antsy for when she could see Michael. She couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating with him. He'd look so handsome in his clown costume... "You can go now, Aunt Kelly."

Kelly grinned and swept Kirsten up into a hug. "Oh you. I know, I know, you wanna get over to your friend and your old auntie's cramping your style or whatever it is you kids say now. Well, you know where I'll be. You and Mikey stay safe, you hear?" She leaned down and kissed Kirsten on the forehead, ruffling her hair. "I'll be back later, so you and Mikey don't eat a lot of candy or you'll be up all night. Bye-bye, don't forget to turn everything off and lock the door before you leave."

With that, Kelly sauntered out the door, shutting it behind her.

Kirsten grinned and began turning everything off.

Best. Halloween. _Ever_.

* * *

Kirsten skipped up the steps to the Myers' house and, knowing she was always welcome, pushed the door right open instead of knocking. She knew Mrs. Myers didn't mind; besides, Michael and Judith were the only ones home. So she went in and, not seeing anyone, called out, "Michael! Michael, are you in here?"

"Hi, Kirsten! Boo!"

She screamed as she spun around, faced with an already-costumed Michael. She pushed him back. "You jerk! You were supposed to wait for me to get dressed up! Plus you scared me, you big dummy!"

"Oh, come on, Kirstie!" He pushed his bangs back. "Happy Halloween, it was just a trick."

"A _dirty_ trick!"

"Oh, don't be such a girl."

"I _am_ a girl. What's _your_ excuse?"

His face turned pink. "H-Hey! That was _really_ mean, Kirstie!"

"And stop callin' me that! That's only for Laurie to call me, _Mikey_!"

He made a face and tossed her the ballerina outfit from the couch. "There's your stupid girly costume."

"Michael Audrey Myers!" came Judith's voice from upstairs. "What the hell are you doing down there, huh?"

"I didn't do _nothin'_, Judy! It's not my fault it scared her!"

"Get up here and help me get Laurie into this costume! She won't quit squirming!"

"Fine, I'm coming!" Michael started to run up the stairs, then looked back at Kirsten. "I'll be back in a few minutes. You can change down here, I won't come down till you say I can. But don't change in front of a window, my mom says there's weirdos out on Halloween."

"Where _is_ your mom?"

"She should be home in about ten minutes and then it's candy time."

"What about your dad?"

"My _step_dad is probably out somewhere. Anyway, I'll see you soon!" And he ran upstairs.

Kirsten sighed and gathered up her costume. She didn't feel comfortable changing in the living room, even if she didn't change in front of any of the windows. She headed into the kitchen, where there weren't any windows period, and began to slip into her dress.

Michael came into the kitchen when she had just her shoes and headband to get on. He emotionlessly passed by her and grabbed one of the big knives from the stand Mrs. Myers kept them in.

"Michael," Kirsten said, hopping up onto a stool to get her shoes on. "What you doin' with that knife?"

He finally seemed to realize she was there. He looked over at her through the holes in his clown mask and gave her a trademark Michael grin. "Oh, nothin', Kirstie. Just, the little stinger part on Laurie's costume was kinda long, so Judy sent me to get some scissors but I couldn't find any so I thought a knife would work."

"Okay. When's your mom supposed to be back?"

"Soon." He scooched past her and went back upstairs. "I'll be down in a few minutes. We can watch TV till my mom gets home."

"Okay." Thinking nothing of it, Kirsten began to tied the ribbon part up her leg for her shoes. Then she blinked and hollered after him, "And stop callin' me Kirstie, _Mikey_!" Satisfied that she'd given him what for, she "hmmp"ed and continued her task.

A few seconds later, she heard Judith yelling upstairs. "Michael! You know you ain't supposed to be playing with knives! Go put that back in the kitchen!"

Kirsten thought it was weird. Hadn't Judith been the one to ask him to get something so she could cut a part of Laurie's costume?

Judith didn't stop. "Michael! You go put that knife back this instant or I'm telling Mom and you won't be allowed to go trick-or-treating!"

Kirsten groaned. If Michael ruined their first Halloween by being stupid (not that boys could really help it, but still), she'd give him noogies every day till _Christmas_. "Mikey," she hissed under her breath, tying the last ribbon up her leg. She was about to put her headband on when she heard Judith screaming bloody murder upstairs.

"_Michael_!"

Just her little brother's name, the way she shouted, the pain and horror laced through her voice, was enough to make Kirsten scared. She abandoned her last sequined decoration and went pounding up the stairs, her heart thumping against her chest.

When she reached Laurie's room, she found Judith lying on the floor, covered in blood. Michael stood over her with the knife, which was stained with blood too, and his costume was splattered with it. Kirsten backed away with wide eyes. "M-Michael... what..."

His eyes were wide too, as he looked at her. He looked from her to the knife in his hand, and then back to her. He took a step forward. "Kirsten... I-I didn't... I didn't mean it... you gotta understand... I didn't know what I was doing... I came down to get the knife so I could do it..." His shoulders shook, and she could see tears forming in his dark brown eyes. "But I changed my mind when I came up... and then she just started yelling at me, telling me how stupid and useless I was and that our family... we woulda been better if I wasn't here... and I just..." He shook his head again, beginning to cry. "I didn't mean it..."

A door opened somewhere, and both of them froze, turning their attention to the open door of the room.

"Michael! Kirsten!" came the voice of Mrs. Myers from downstairs. "Where are you two? We have to hurry!"

Kirsten was first to bolt out of the room. She had to tell Mrs. Myers what Michael had done. He was her friend, but this was totally wrong. She knew he'd get grounded or something, but punishment to somebody who had done something wrong was only fair. "Mrs. Myers!"

And Michael snapped out of it. About the time Kirsten had reached the top steps, he was running after her. "Kirsten, no!" He quickly caught up with her, since he could run a lot faster, and wrapped his arms around her, trying to drag her back. "You can't! Do you know how much trouble I'm gonna be in? I can't let them know the voices came back!"

Kirsten didn't know what he was talking about, but she managed to wrestle free from his grip and went racing down the stairs. "Mrs. Myers!" She was vaguely aware that Michael had gotten Judith's blood on her, but she couldn't worry about that right now.

"Stop it!" Before she knew what was happening, Michael had tackled her and they were both tumbling down the stairs.

Kirsten could feel every little bump as they fell, and something scratched her leg. She screamed out as they landed in a heap at the bottom of the steps, Michael on top of her. Her hand flew to the cut on her thigh, and she realized that Michael had still been holding the knife, and it had slashed her there.

"Kids!" Mrs. Myers rushed over and bent beside them. "Michael! Where's your sister? Where's Judith? Where's the baby?"

Kirsten was wailing loudly, and she pulled on Mrs. Myers's skirt, and babbled out the story. "I went up and Michael had the knife and she was lying there and Laurie was crying! I didn't know what he did! I woulda stopped him! I'm sorry, Mrs. Myers!"

It was a minute later when Mrs. Myers ran back downstairs from Laurie's room with the baby and called the police, and it was ten minutes later that they arrived, taking Kirsten and Michael in separate cars.


	3. Chapter 3

Still in her ballerina costume, Kirsten fidgeted in her seat across from a man who had been identified to her as Dr. Samuel Loomis. He was an older man, with grayish white hair and a beard. He was dressed all in white, much like the entire inside of this big building. She didn't exactly feel comfortable here, and she wanted to talk to Michael. She was afraid of him now, but he was still... he was still her friend. That hadn't changed. If she could just talk to him and figure out what kind of voices he'd been talking about that came back, and why he didn't want her to tell his mother...

"Miss Black, would you mind if we started?"

She glanced up, her blue-eyed gaze shifting back to Dr. Loomis's face. Dully she nodded, hoping that if she answered everything quickly they would let her and Michael go and it could all return to normal.

"Alright." He clicked a button on his tape recorder. "Samuel Loomis, Smith's Grove Sanitarium. October 31st, 1984. I am speaking with nine-year-old Kirsten Black." With that, he placed it in the middle of his desk and the interrogation began. "Now, I'm just going to talk to you, ask you a few questions. I'm going to need you to answer honestly. First, can you please tell me your full name?"

She sighed, crossing her arms. "You're trying to torture me, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"I've never even told Michael my middle name. My whole name is Kirsten Imagine Black."

"Good. Now, you were at the home of Michael Audrey Myers not too long ago, weren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Why were you there?"

"Me and Michael were gonna go trick-or-treating with his mom and baby sister Laurie tonight. Where is he?"

"He's in a different room."

"Can I see him?"

"Maybe in a few minutes, if you answer all my questions. Now, did you assist Michael in the murder of Judith Myers?"

"No, sir."

"So he killed her by himself?"

"I don't think Laurie would have been much help, so yeah."

"Alright. Can you please describe to me, in your own words, what you saw happen?"

It felt like such a long time ago, but Kirsten forced herself to remember even though it hurt her heart. "Michael came down to get a knife while I was putting on my shoes, and said Judy needed scissors to cut off part of Laurie's costume 'cause it was too long, but he couldn't find any. So he went back up and then I heard Judy screaming. So I ran up and saw him with the knife and Judy on the floor. There was blood all over and Laurie was cryin'. And then Mrs. Myers came home so I went to tell her and Michael tried to stop me. He said... he couldn't let them know the voices came back."

"Okay." Dr. Loomis leaned over the desk and looked at her thigh. "I noticed that gash on your leg when you came in. Why don't you tell me what happened there? Did Michael try to hurt you too?"

Her hand drifted to the cut where Michael's knife had dragged across her skin. It wasn't deep and it had stopped bleeding. "He didn't mean it. He tried to stop me from telling Mrs. Myers about Judy, and I tripped, and we both fell down the stairs. I think that's when I got hurt, 'cause he still had the knife. It wasn't his fault."

"Alright, I believe that's all I need. Thank you, Miss Black." He switched the tape recorder off and put it into a drawer.

Kirsten blinked, waiting for him to dismiss her. "Can I see Michael now?"

Dr. Loomis stood up and walked to the door. "First, your aunt is here. She'll show you where he is, but I think she wants to talk to you first. You will be allowed to leave with her as soon as she signs the outpatient papers."

Kirsten walked out of the room and was immediately caught up in a hug by the still-costumed Kelly. "Oh God, Kirstie!" Her aunt was sobbing and holding her as tight as was humanly possible. "I came as soon as Debbie called me! Are you hurt? What did Dr. Loomis say?"

Kirsten lifted up her tutu skirt to reveal the slash mark. "It doesn't hurt that bad anymore, and it was an accident. Michael was trying to keep me from telling his mom and we both fell, so I got hurt 'cause he still had the knife. But it doesn't hurt, all the hurting went away. And he said that as soon as you sign some kinda papers I can leave. So I guess that means when Michael's mom signs something he can leave too. I don't think we're going trick-or-treating though, 'cause I think Michael's in real big trouble."

Kelly gave her a blank look. "Kirsten... Michael's not leaving. I talked to Debbie, and he has to stay here. You're the only one going home."

Her eyes widened. "But... But why? It wasn't Michael's fault!"

"Kirsten." Kelly bent down to her niece's height and placed her hands on the nine-year-old's shoulders, looking straight into her eyes. "I know Michael's a really good friend, and I know this is hard to understand..."

"He's not _just_ a good friend, Aunt Kelly! He's my _only_ friend! All the other kids think I'm weird for my hair and they think I'm weird 'cause I like him! He needs me and I need him and he _can't_ stay here! Who else is gonna be my friend? All I got is him!"

"Honey, friends come and go. You'll find someone else. I know he's the only one right _now_ who likes you, but you'll find other friends, honey. Kirsten, don't you understand? He _killed_ his sister."

"She was yelling at him and treating him like he didn't matter! That's all she _ever_ did!"

"It doesn't matter if she deserved it or not, Kirsten. He had no excuse. People like that are all over the place, but nobody should kill them. I need you understand, honey, that Michael is very, very sick."

"He's not _that_ sick, Aunt Kelly. He's just got a cold and he's been taking care of it..."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Kirsten. He's not sick in the body. He's sick in the head. Debbie said that he was admitted here two years ago - they discovered him killing animals, and he said that the voices made him do it. He got better. But now the sickness came back, so he needs to stay here and get better before he can come home. You wouldn't want him hurting anyone else, would you? And I don't know what I'd do if he killed you."

"But he _wouldn't_ kill me! I'm his best friend!"

Kelly's hands tightened on her niece's shoulders, and Kirsten became aware of how upset her aunt really was. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and Kirsten wouldn't listen to her. She was really worked up about this. "Did you see what he did to Judy? And she was his sister!" She shook Kirsten, meeting her eyes with tears in her own. "_She was his God-damned sister and he killed her_!" She could feel the other redhead's nails digging into her skin. "He would kill you in an instant if the voices told him to..."

Kirsten put a hand on her aunt's face and tilted it up.

"Can I go and see Michael now? I wanna tell him good-bye."

**Just so people know, I'm basing this off the Halloween remake by Rob Zombie. (Teehee, gotta love his name.) This part is set in 1984, and I also made Michael and Laurie (and Judith, I guess) about 2 years older than they were supposed to be in the original, 'cause Mikey was only supposed to be 6 and Laurie was supposed to just be a baby.**

**Sooooo... yeah. OH and I'm watching the original one right now as I type, I kid you not. My mom rented some and she won't watch them unless I'm with her. XD It's ridiculous, but I'm not complaining because Mikey's love is mah drug. :D Random Ke$ha reference! :| I can't say I really love Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie, but maybe it's just because I'm used to hearing her voice in older roles like Freaky Friday... y'know, 'cause I wasn't AROUND when she was younger and playing this stuff. Ah but anyway, it doesn't matter because... MICHAEL WAS SO ADORABLE AS A WIDDLE KID! I squeed when I saw him on the screen as a kiddie. X3 Too cute.**

**Well... suppose I'll let ya go now. Bye bye wonderful peeps! ^^**


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